Travel Assistance 101

Sometimes we travel to places where the quality of medical care isn’t the same as what we’re accustomed to in the U.S. According to our Transportation Manager, Juan Ives, “If a member needs critical medical care while they’re away, our main goal is to ensure they’re treated in a facility that is properly staffed and well equipped to treat their condition. And if it’s not, it’s our job to evacuate them to a facility that can.” He continued, “If a traveler requires a higher level of specialized care (IV, fluids, oxygen, medical monitoring, etc.), and can’t travel home for care on a commercial flight, we’ll coordinate an air ambulance evacuation.”

Losing your wallet—especially while traveling—can be nerve-wracking, frustrating and costly. While that’s not a situation anyone would like to experience first-hand, if you’re prepared and know what to expect, you can actually make things a lot easier on yourself.

You arrive at your hotel in Naples and you notice you forgot to pack your prescription medicine. Great, now what? Feeling panicked, you ask your hotel concierge where the closest pharmacy is located, and as luck would have it there is a pharmacy right down the street from your hotel.

After a long and uncomfortable flight, you finally arrive at the baggage carousel only to realize that your baggage is nowhere in sight. Great. Besides having a business meeting in less than three hours, you still need to pick up your rental car, check into your hotel room and change into your meeting attire which, of course, is packed in your suitcase.

We get this question all the time: What exactly is medical evacuation? And how does it work, and why or when do I need this coverage? Today, we’ll help you understand this technical term and why this life-saving benefit should matter to you.